Today in the MHSAA: 10/28/16

October 28, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Three quarters of the MHSAA boys soccer semifinalists are set, and we gathered coverage from all 12 Regional Finals from Thursday, plus some key volleyball regular-season finales.

Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.

Boys Soccer

Division 1 No. 19 East Kentwood got past No. 16 Traverse City West 3-2 – Grand Rapids Press

Unranked Rochester won its first Regional title since 2002 with a 1-0 Division 1 win over No. 15 Grand Blanc – Oakland Press

No. 14 Novi moved on with a 1-0 win over No. 13 Salem in Division 1 – Observer & Eccentric

No. 11 Mattawan upset No. 8 Holland 3-0 in a Division 2 Regional Final – Kalamazoo Gazette

Division 1 No. 1 East Lansing got past No. 6 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern 1-0 – Grand Rapids Press

Unranked Fenton got past also-unranked Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 1-0 in Division 2 – Flint Journal

Dearborn Divine Child won another matchup of unranked teams in Division 2, 2-0 over Gibraltar Carlson – Dearborn Press & Guide

Top-ranked Grand Rapids Catholic Central edged No. 8 Paw Paw in Division 3 – Grand Rapids Press

Division 3 No. 12 Charlevoix downed Benzonia Benzie Central 4-0 for its first Regional title in boys soccer – Petoskey News-Review

Division 3 No. 4 Flint Powers Catholic returned to the Semifinals with a 2-0 win over No. 7 Clawson – Flint Journal

Unranked Muskegon Catholic Central continued its Division 4 run with a shootout win over No. 9 Grand Rapids Covenant Christian – Grand Rapids Press

Also in Division 4, No. 18 Kalamazoo Hackett downed No. 10 Lansing Christian 2-1 – Kalamazoo Gazette

Volleyball

Class B honorable mention Croswell-Lexington finished a second straight perfect run through the Blue Water Area Conference with a sweep of Armada – Port Huron Times Herald

Kingsford finished an undefeated season in the Great Northern Conference to claim that league’s championship – Iron Mountain Daily News

Unranked Hillsdale Academy dealt Class D honorable mention Camden-Frontier a five-set loss – Hillsdale Daily News

Today in the MHSAA: 8/31/15

August 31, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

The final weekend of August was a giant weekend for MHSAA volleyball contenders, with some of the top regular-season events this fall providing opportunities for the best to see how they might match up when playoffs begin in two months.

Below are headlines for some of the key high school reports from across the state; the weekend’s football round-up will publish later this afternoon.  

Cross Country

Muskegon Reeths-Puffer’s Maryssa Depies set a course record of 18:11.3 to win the Big Red Invitational at McGraft Park – Muskegon Chronicle

Flint Powers Catholic’s top individual finisher came in ninth, but the Chargers girls as a team were first at the Lansing Catholic Invitational – Flint Journal

The reigning Lower Peninsula Division 2 champion Grand Rapids Christian boys repeated as winner of the prestigious Benzie Central Invitational, finishing ahead of Traverse City West and Central, while Central senior Anthony Berry won individually in 15:24 – Grand Rapids Press

Boys Soccer

Tawas, a Division 3 semifinalist last season, finished first from an Elk Rapids Invitational field that included Berkley and Saginaw Nouvel – Bay City Times

Volleyball

Lake Odessa Lakewood, last season’s Class B runner-up and the second-ranked team in that class this week, eliminated Class A No. 6 Grand Rapids Christian to win the West Michigan Volleyball Officials Association tournament for the first time in a decade – Grand Rapids Press

Class A No. 4 Grand Haven continued its perfect run at its outdoor Battle of the Boardwalk tournament, sweeping three opponents to remain undefeated through the event's third year – Grand Haven Tribune

Battle Creek Harper Creek, No. 9 in Class B, improved to 17-0 by winning the Cereal City Tournament at Pennfield with a 2-1 championship match win over Temperance Bedford, an MHSAA semifinalist last season in Class A – Battle Creek Enquirer

Good Reads

The Holland Sentinel introduced its top female athletes in that area’s history Sunday, and highlighted nationally-known softball star Kathy Arendsen and her successes during one of the MHSAA’s first Softball Finals – Holland Sentinel

Anyone who follows high school football history will enjoy going through the Muskegon Chronicle’s sampling of top-20 moments from that area’s football past – Muskegon Chronicle

More than 60 former Shepherd High School players from the last 25 seasons returned for an alumni doubleheader Sunday to honor coach Jack Nartker, who will retire after this spring – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun